The Communist Party of the Philippines calls on the Filipino people to mobilize resources for the survivors of typhoon Mario (international name: Fung-Wong) which dumped large amounts of rain, flooded homes, inundated rice fields, and caused widespread damage to crops, fishponds, and other sources of livelihood.

More than a million people in the Bicol, Southern Tagalog, central and northern Luzon, and Metro Manila, mostly from the toiling sectors, were hit by the storm.

Since last week, CPP branches together with mass organizations in the urban poor communities, have been carrying out collective action in order to mobilize the people to enable them to ride over the calamity. As before, the urban poor communities in Metro Manila and surrounding suburbs were among those that suffered the worst floodings.

In the southern Luzon and central and northern Luzon provinces, the leading committees of the CPP have mobilized units of the New People’s Army (NPA) and the mass organizations of peasants, youth and women to organize rehabilitation efforts. Thousands of people can be mobilized to reconstruct homes, repair dikes, river banks and other agriculture infrastructure damaged by the floods.

The CPP calls on the sectors least affected by the recent storm to help mobilize resources for the calamity survivors. In the guerrilla zones, units of the NPA and local mass organizations have established liaison committees in order to coordinate humanitarian assistance and facilitate the entry of medical and other aid agencies into the areas needing the most help.

The CPP joins the Filipino people in denouncing the Aquino regime for its continuing failure to address the long-standing problem of flooding in Metro Manila and elsewhere. There is mounting clamor for a clear accounting of the billions of pesos in regular and DAP funds allotted for its flood-control program.